Wild Nature,
outside commercial civilization,
runs on gift economy
("freely give, freely receive").
Thus it is balanced. Commercial civilization runs on thought of credit and debt ("knowledge of good & evil").
Thus it is imbalanced.
What nation can balance
its own budget or environment?
Gift Economy is Faith, Grace, Love
- the core message of every religion.
The proof is inside you:
Wild Nature is your True Nature,
crucified by commercial civilization.

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Monday, December 13, 2010

San Diego

I'm in the San Diego area with Isaac and Jen. Computer time and access is rare so this could be the last post for a while. Jen's cellphone died, too, so texting email is out, too. This is a quick and scattered post.

Our encounters with friends, new and old, has been absolutely grand. We spent Thanksgiving with Roy's family. One of the funnest Thanksgivings I've ever had.
Then we spent time with my close friend Grace, as well as our friends Jeromie and Jayme. We also got to stay over at the house of Grace's boyfriend Eric and his roommates, Paul and Jupiter as well as Eric's daughters. Paul wowed us with his sitar music, having studied under Ravi Shankar.

From Jen's cellphone. Our camp beach.
Sun dim like moon through clouds.
I don't have time to figure out
how to right-side-up these.

Paul took us down to Santa Monica where we walked the coastline trying to check out all the harbors and docks in our attempt to find something to Hawaii. Futile attempts. We found some shopping carts for our packs and walked for 3 days to the southern side of LA. Then we hitched southward, camping on the beach and in random crannies of civilization. And who should pick us up and take us half way to San Diego, way out of her way? A young woman named Apania, Jenna Jameson's personal assistant. Apania was so friendly and funny - had us laughing the whole way. Gave us an inside tour of California's chic spots down the coast. What a foreign world, almost creepy to me. Apania commented on how she serves the rich and is around unbelievable wealth and celebrities constantly, but hasn't enough to pay her own rent. But she said she has a deep bond with Jenna, a priceless friendship.

We camped the beach that night, were told in the morning it was illegal. We tried hitching, then walked. We camped in a crack under a road overlooking the ocean. We tried hitching out of Carlsbad but some cops told us hitch-hiking was illegal, and we'd be cited if we got caught again the next 15 miles. I discussed with one of the cops how unjust the law was, telling him both he and I knew in our hearts such a law has nothing to do with serving and protecting humans, but it had everything to do with economic status. He couldn't officially agree because he has a job he has to do, and has to say what he is paid to say, and that helps me not be angry. Slaves to mammon cannot do other than what mammon says, otherwise they would not be slaves. I understand, I've had plenty of jobs where I sacrificed my mind for the mind of the institution I worked for. After the cops left, a man named parked at the beach, named Carlos, called us over, asking us what happened. "Fascists." he said, "I'll give you a ride, though I can't go very far." But he ended up giving us another royal tour of the entire coast, all the way to San Diego! "I didn't have anything to do, anyway!" He said.

So we've been walking a lot, with shopping carts again. It's strange, this lifestyle. I go from feeling overly flattered from publicity to going to feeling less than scum from the looks and the treatment of quite a few people. Both the flattery and the ill treatment are based on distorted images in the head, not on reality. Isaac and Jen have discussed how troubled it makes them feel, sometimes, too. My masochist side actually gets off on it all, like it's some big wonderful challenge to maintain noble dignity at the bottom of the heap. I love it in fact, usually. But we're almost always treated with real respect by the Mexicans here, who now an then astound us with their generosity and friendliness. I've found there isn't much to eat in dumpsters in Mexican neighborhoods. They keep giving us what they don't eat instead of throwing it away.

Then there's the authorities. Most everything is military and high security here. Cops, military all around, continual helicopter surveillance from above. Pretty much everything is illegal when you don't have money. I'm not being facitious by saying that to live freely is to live illegally. You simply cannot live without money and be legal here. I suppose that's true all over the US, but especially here. But I can also see it from the viewpoint of law enforcement. There are simply too many people here, and it's out of control. Everybody wanted to move to beautiful southern Cali, and everything turned into money and privatization and business and military. Humanity has been almost squeezed out of the picture. You try to rest your bones at a business, the owners shoe you away. You try to rest your bones on "public" land, the cops shoe you away. You walk, you're tresspassing. You hitch-hike, you're an illegal "threat." If you live free, you remind people that something matters besides business, and that might be bad for the economy. But people are "free": "free" to shop, "free" to buy plastic surgery and botox and silicon injections, and look at all the "freedom" of choice at supermarkets and malls! Okay, I'm seeing this place from a different viewpoint than most. But few get to see it from the bottom. So now you get to see it from homeless eyes. I hope it's a bit uncomfortable for you.

We've been sleeping in a park and found an abandoned rowboat on a nearby fenced-off beach. I found some discarded cans of latex paint and used it to patch up the holes. So we might take it into the bay tomorrow and float south. That's probably illegal too. We're still open for a chance to find a magical boat to Hawaii, but not attached to expectations if it doesn't happen.

I'm still learning guitar and feeling good about it. We have flutes with us, too.

I love Jen and Isaac more than I can say. They're amazingly still with me though I've led them on a wild goose chase. We are amazingly compatible.

Accept disgrace willingly.Accept misfortune as the human condition.What do you mean by "Accept disgrace willingly?"Accept being unimportant.Do not be concerned with loss or gain. . . .Surrender yourself humbly;Then you can be trusted to care for all things.Love the world as your own self,Then you can truly care for all things.(Tao Te Ching 13)

He who takes upon himself the humiliation of the peopleIs fit to rule them.He who takes upon himself the country's disasters dDeserves to be King of the Universe.(Tao Te Ching 78)

I was homeless in California for several years. San Diego County is one of the harder places in terms of people's attitude. Overall, I would prefer even the rougher neighborhoods of LA to most parts of San Diego. That's how I view it. Californian's are a bag of mixed nuts. Some are sweet, some are salty, and some are down right rotten.

Great post Suelo. Hope you make it to Hawaii bro. I personally love this part of the post,"Pretty much everything is illegal when you don't have money. I'm not being facitious by saying that to live freely is to live illegally. You simply cannot live without money and be legal here. I suppose that's true all over the US, but especially here. But I can also see it from the viewpoint of law enforcement. There are simply too many people here, and it's out of control. Everybody wanted to move to beautiful southern Cali, and everything turned into money and privatization and business and military. Humanity has been almost squeezed out of the picture. You try to rest your bones at a business, the owners shoe you away. You try to rest your bones on "public" land, the cops shoe you away. You walk, you're tresspassing. You hitch-hike, you're an illegal "threat." If you live free, you remind people that something matters besides business, and that might be bad for the economy."

This is the kind of stuff I get bashed for saying, whenever I mention you to anyone here in PA. I work for a small business and its like nothing seems to matter to them except dollar signs and numbers. Sometimes I just want to blow up at my employers, but unfortunately I'm still a slave to mammon so doing so would put me in a position I'm not ready to deal with. I hope one day I will be able to shed this false reality though. Your stories continue to be an inspiration. Good luck in your journey.

a very inspiring story daniel. i wish things were working out better for you. it's a shame that it's illegal to be penniless and free of wage slavery. this is just one of the many reasons why i support a resource based economy over what we currently have now. the whole notion that the earth is a commodity to own by a small elite group of people who have most of the money while everyone else struggles to make ends is utterly perverse and out of sync with a healthy society.

I read your blog regularly, and as a sailor, I wonder, are you looking for a private yacht going to Hawaii? Because if you are, finding one at this time of year is unlikely. The season for sailing to Hawaii from CA is late spring and early summer. Finding a boat going to Mexico may be a better option. Regardless, I hope your journey is a good one.

Van living would be nice. I have no debt, but I also have no van. I have enough money to maybe buy one, but then I would be out of money. So I may have no debt but I'm not free of slavery to money and jobs.

Living in a van while accruing debt, but getting some valuable education to get out of the cycle might not feel like slavery. Not judging, just offering ideas:http://www.salon.com/life/pinched/2009/12/06/living_in_a_van

Keep up the good work my friend. You are an inspiration to us 'slaves'. haha. We can all find that inner peace inside each of us but we so easily get distracted. Your blog which I hadn't visited in some time, was probably what started my spiritual journey. Obvioulsly IT was calling out from the heart but you initiated the 'thurough search' for the truth. Because if someone like you can be like you are, then why can't we all? I think you are one of the great tools of the universe that give people hope for soemthing better. Many blessings and thanks from Canada! -Ld

Hey Suelo!,Glad to hear Issac, Jen and yourself made it to San Diego safe and sound! Sounds like you guys are having quite the trip.

Sorry to hear that everything hasn't been going as well as you had hoped. It never ceases to amaze me that it's illegal to simply take up space without paying someone. Basically, you're breaking the law if you're not paying for being alive. What a system...

Anyway, wishing you guys all the best and lots of love on your future travels, wherever this crazy life may lead you! :)

Suelo believes all paths lead to God. How mistaken he is! It will cost him eternal damnation in the flames of Hell. Head my warning. Steer clear of this man and his anti capitalism doctrines. The lord says to obey the laws of the land. I don't see Suelo doing that.

I'm surprised it let me leave a comment. I'm unable to comment on my own blog and others have informed me they can no longer leave comments on there either. I've checked my settings and nothing has changed. I have no idea what's going on.

Ben, you're going to Hell too! How dare you question the sovereign god that created us. You're supposed to worship him and not question his authority. Christianity is the true religion. It's the only way.

I just discovered your blog. Although I don't think we'll ever go moneyless, we are trying to coast with as little money as possible. We have no car payment, though we have a car. (Minimal insurance and we sold the second one) We don't own our home but we also don't pay rent or a mortgage. (or taxes). We heat with wood recycled from the local logging industry. The peace that comes from not being steeped in the rat race is amazing.

Are you sick in the mind mister Daniel or hopeless enough ??? Simple life is required and enjoys peace of mind but also working for life and make such an effort is required too, so what would be the different between you and an animal ??? Animals live, eat, love, poop. the same as you right now, live, eat, love, poop NO ACHIEVEMENTS NO goals. really WOW

Jesus driving moneychangers & merchants from the Temple.

Sadhu of India

Call me Suelo

I lived totally without cents since Autumn of 2000 (except for a couple months in 2001) until the Spring of 2016, when I started caring for my aging parents, managing their finances. For 15 years I didn't use or accept money or conscious barter - nor did I take food stamps or other government dole. My philosophy has been to use only what is freely given or discarded and what is already present and already running (whether or not I existed).
I don't see money as evil or good: how can illusion be evil or good? But I don't see heroin or meth as evil or good, either. Which is more addictive and debilitating, money or meth?
Attachment to illusion makes you illusion, makes you not real. Attachment to illusion is called idolatry, called addiction. I simply got tired of acknowledging as real this most common world-wide belief called money! I simply got tired of being unreal. Money is one of those intriguing things that seems real and functional because 2 or more people believe it is real & functional!